Shoulder strap holder



March 6, 1934. sw z 1,949,982

SHOULDER STRAP HOLDER Filed May 10, 1953 Pam; E. SWITZER.

Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

vices permanently attached to the apparel. In

the first instance, the strap does not lie natural on the shoulder andgives rise to an uncomfortable feeling augmented by the contact of thepin with the bare flesh. In the second instance the devices must beremoved each and every time the garment is sent to the cleaners, elsethe devices are liable to be torn oif with consequent damage to thedress material. Other forms of devices employed are open to criticism onthe A grounds that they are not easy to manipulate or are prone torelease when in use.

It is my aim to provide a removable strap fastener that may be easilymanipulated by women, both to attach the same to a garment, and to catchup and hold the strap. By virtue of my novel device, the wearer may restassured that the strap will be properly held without discomforture tothe wearer and further will not be released inadvertently through anyseparation of the device. However, release of the strap may be hadeasily and instantaneously with a manual manipulation that is no moredifficult to perform, and as speedy as a buttoning operation. It is ofconsiderable advantage to be able to quickly release or catch up theribbon strap, with literally a flip of the hand, since time is not lostin undoing and doing pins or pulling open hooks and eyes or performingother operations that necessitate the use of both hands to properlyaffix or release the devices.

Other objects and advantageous features of this invention are to benoted in the following detailed description and accompanying drawing,wherein like characters of reference designate similar parts, andwherein:-

Figure 1 illustrates the application of my novel shoulder strap holderin securing ribbons, straps, or the like in place on the wearersshoulder.

Figure 2 is a detail of the strap holder illustrating the manner inwhich it may be attached to a foundation garment.

Figure 3 is a plan of the strap holder illustrating the manner in whichthe parts may be manipulated manually to close the same.

Figure 4 is a plan of the novel strap holder illustrating the same inclosed position as it would normally appear when in position for itsintended purpose.

Figure 5 is an elevation of the holding part of the device which engageswith a shoulder strap to prevent displacement thereof.

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a section illustrating the form of an alternative type ofholding part which may be used in place of that shown in Figure 5.

Figure 8 discloses the manner in which the holding part of Figure 5 maybe permanently attached to the attaching member.

Figure 9 discloses an alternative form of holding part.

Generally speaking, this novel strap holder consists in a pin having apinning leg, by means of which the same may be removably attached to agarment, plus a holding element for looping around a lingerie strap, theholding element being permanently attached at one end to the pin andbeing removably attached to the pin at its opposed end.

With reference to the drawing, the novel strap holder is best shown inFigure 3 and Figure 4, wherein one element of the device is shown ascomprising a pin A having a pinning leg 1 and a bar portion 2 made up ofa continuous length of metal that is turned to provide a closed loop 3.5 The keeper is provided for the pinning leg in the form of a headportion 4 having an integral depending lug 5 that extends below the barportion 2 for the purpose to be hereinafter described. This pin may takethe form of an ordinary safety 9 pin, however, is possessed of theadditional fea ture of the lug 5 which has a peculiar cooperation withthe other element of the device to accomplish a particular and usefulend.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 8, the element which is intended to beslipped around or looped under the shoulder strap, is illustrated by thenumeral 7 as comprising a flexible length of material having the endportions provided with closed loops 8 and 9. This holding element is 1preferably made up of a core of round rubber elastic as shown at 10, inFigure 6, covered with a woven braiding 12, or, on the other hand, maybe made up simply of a woven fabric or other material which will servefor the purpose intended. Furthermore, the core 10 may be of rectangularconfiguration as shown at 11 in Figure 7 covered with a woven braiding12.

I preferably attach the holding element 7 to the pin A in the zone ofthe closed loop 3 of the pin either by inserting the free end of theholding element '7 through the loop and thereafter forming a closed loopin the holding element by sewing, or forming the closed loop in theholding element first and then manipulating it along the pinning leg andaround the loop in a manner which is well known.

With the parts in assembled relation, the Wearer may, convenientlyattach the same to an outer garment after which the holding element maybe looped under the shoulder strap or ribbon and affixed to the headportion of the pin A, as will now be described.

Referring to Figure 2, as shown, the pin A is pinned to the shoulder ofan outer garment, preferably along a seam. While this operation ofattaching the pin takes place, the looped end 9 of the holding elementpreferably hangs free. After the pin is attached, this end is taken inthe fingers and threaded under the strap which in turn is sustainedthereby, as shown in Figure 4. Then, as illustrated in Figure 3, theclosed loop 9 is moved axially along the pin head 4 and passed over thelug 5 so that the parts in final closed position will be substantiallythe same as that shown in Figure 4. The lug member 5 prevents the freeend of the holding element from slipping rearwardly off the head of thepin and thus prevents dissociation of parts and subsequent release ofthe shoulder strap to the annoyance of the wearer. Release may be had bysimply manipulating the end of the loop rearwardly over the lug and offthe head of the pin. This is easy to perform and quickly accomplished.

It will be observed that the loop 9 is preferably circular in end view,as shown in Figure 5. By virtue of this arrangement, the loop may beelongated or distended to allow it to pass over the lug 5, however, Iprefer that the inside diameter of the loop be such that when the samecomes to rest against the lug 5, the loop will closely embrace the bars1 and 2 of the pin and will tend to be prevented from axial movementaway from the pin through such association. Where the holding element ismade with an elastic core, the inherent resiliency of the material willtend to draw the loop tightly around the pinning leg and bar, thuspreventing movement along the pm.

In Figure 9 I have shown an alternative form of holding part that may beemployed advantageously in place of the part '7 shown in Figure 5. Thismember preferably consists of a resilient member 13 which takes the formof a rubber band which is enclosed in a tube of material 14, such asthat commonly used in covering buss wire, and is known in the trade asspaghetti. The ends of the rubber band extend from the tube as loops andaccordingly one loop may be attached tothe pin in the zone of its closedloop, in a manner which may be readily apparent, and the other end isthen free to be removably attached to the head end of the pin in amanner consistent with that set forth with regard to the part '7.

It will be apparent that after the holding part is mounted on the pinand looped under the strap, the spaghetti covering may be shifted alongthe rubber band toward the head portion 4 to reduce the effective lengthof the loop and thus prevent dissociation of the parts through abutmentagainst the lug 5.

In conclusion, it may be said that I have provided a very simple devicethat is economical to manufacture and which should have a wide demand,particularly in view of its utility and the ease with which it may bemanipulated. It will be readily seen that the parts are not prone tobecome dissociated under any and all conditions of use.

Although I have shown and described this novel article of manufacture asbeing preferably employed for the purpose of retaining shoulder strapsin position, it is well within the scope of this invention to employ itin other and further capacities without departing from the spirit ofthis invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. As an article of manufacture, a holding device for shoulder straps orthe like on womens garments, comprising, in combination, a pin having apinning leg, a bar portion, a loop, and a head, and a flexible holdingelement mounted to cooperate with the strap to maintain the same inposition on a wearers shoulder, means for attaching said holding elementto said pin in the zone of the closed loop, means for attaching saidholding element to said pin in the zone of the head portion including aloop movable axially of the pin and over the head portion to encompassand embrace the pinning leg and bar portion of the pin.

2. As an article of manufacture, a holding device for shoulder straps orribbons on womens garments, which comprises, in combination, a pinadapted to be attached to an outer garment along the shoulder seamthereof, said pin comprising a bar portion and a pinning leg joined by aclosed loop, a head portion and a pliable holding element to be trainedaround a strap or ribbon, said holding element comprising a resilientcore, a woven fabric encompassing said core, and a closed loop at thefixed end of the holding element for permanently attaching said holdingelement to said pin, a second closed loop formed at the free end of saidholding element for engaging said pinning means in the zone of the headportion and for encompassing said bar portion and said pinning leg, andmeans for preventing axial movement of said free end in at least onedirection, comprising a lug formed on said head and depending beyondsaid bar portion and normally lying in the path over which the free endtravels.

3. As an article of manufacture, a holding device for shoulder straps,which comprises, in combination, a flexible holding element having aclosed loop at each end, pinning means carried by one of said loops, ahead on said pinning means, the other of said loops being movableaxially along said pin and over said head to attach the same thereto,and means for securing said loop to said head comprising a lug formed asa part of said head, and a resilient core for said holding element forembracing and gripping said pin.

PEARL E. SWITZER.

